The healing power of games
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I can certainly ditto this article, or at least have an excuse as to why I have a game running most the time. I was forced into a very sedentary lifestyle with physical issues 10 years ago with fibromyalgia and spine/neck arthritis leading to total boredom and nearing depression with total "brainfog".
I cannot sit at a desk more than a half hour, and always in chronic pain to some degree. I was a crossword puzzle addict to keep the brain wired at least before I got a computer and layed down the pencil and puzzle books forever. I moved the monitor bedside where I can sit comfortably resting my head back (also an annoying essential tremor of the head which must be propped with a pillow in resting position) Worse, feet swell if not propped up so resigned myself to beddom. I used a remote mouse and keyboard on the bed learning pc games. That was 7 years ago. Then had to go corded as the longer I played an intensive game my batteries died in a day. I just recently had to leave my comfort zone 3 days and nights during rennovation and toxic termite extermination to my building. I freaked and cannot cope with stress of daily rituals fragmented. So I bought a laptop!! I loaded over 50 games and took my "therapy" with me along with my memory foam bed topper HA!! First I was about to buy a xword puzzle book which are now up to $10!! Which gave me an excuse to splurge on a laptop deal for "ONLY $500" just to avoid game withdrawals. Yeh, I'm crazy too.
The benefits besides the time passes fast and fun, my memory retention has improved considerably as proof on Replaying HOG. Focus improves without getting stuck in brainfog (if I don't play when I'm hungry, then I can feel the blood coming back to the brain and clarity reminding me to eat when I'm stuck in a game). I've had times I can't even remember what object I'm looking constantly looking back at the list like "where was I?" as short term memory was so bad, now I can read the list and find 2 or 3 things at a time so some retention there.
On puzzles turning over tiles to find pairs I was horrible trying to focus hard and remember just the last one I saw. Now I find the faster I click them over the better I do so it must work more with right brain, not concentration to remember. Amazes me how my hand goes back to an upper row and clicks something for a correct match I'd never find if I were depending on memorizing the order. Must be subliminal but subconscious mind is apparently getting exercised. Same thing on object finding on a replay, my hand moves on its own right over some area on a scene where it is altho I don't consciously recall or even see the object.
Since I had to reinstall all my games I can measure improvements replaying them all from level 1. Long term memory isn't so hot but better than the first time I played. I just zip thru Big Kahuna Reef and remember how stymied I got on some hard ones. It's a good one to relax or play while watching tv or other distractions, I see more ways to logic out moves when I used to spend hours on one.
But mainly GAMES ARE FUN. Something to look forward to after my daily email and news reading are behind me. I do 90% of my shopping online too off my feet, forces me to keep accounts straight, or count the days before I get my next game club coupon. Something to look forward to and a topic to research reviews and feedbacks.
Bio-Feedback must work too, I feel much better and alive, and have the interaction with others on message boards and such to not feel so isolated as pre-computer era. I've adjusted to my limitations and don't feel like a victim with an inactive body but still a very active mind and I see improvements in that function daily. It stops the rumination of negative thought in a jiffy.
I don't have a clue how I'd spend my time without a computer and games, go stark raving destructive crazy - Oh, I know, I remember now - I bought myself a laptop instead of a straight jacket LOL. Now I got stereo, Sherlock Holmes here and a spoiler page and tips on the other screen without having to flip back and forth. I'm becoming a veritable technical genious (or maybe just happily obsessed)
btw I have a sister who is severely bi-polar, often institutionalized. I bought her a pc some time ago as she is severely depressed. I sent her some game CD's hoping it would open her life up some and maybe more communicative with email. She never got past Level 1 of Hidden Exp Titanic. Nor a desire to go back and try again. Once depression gets to that dark level one doesn't even have a desire to experience fun or find a way out. So I am most grateful that I caught mine when I still willing to explore games instead of psyche meds and total despair. I don't do well on meds, they're no fun.
Now I don't know if I'm getting a cataract or just played too long when one eye is blurry. Yikes. A tradeoff? I'd lose an eye before losing my mind again.
Motto on a mug: "Of all the things I've lost in life, I miss my mind the most!"
Keep on gaming!
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Geez what happened to formatting? Sorry about that lonnnnnnngggg post folkd,
Pilar, sent you a Kudo for tip, I'm going to do the demo on Carib Hideaway, may be a nice switch from BigKR and 2Chains.
I think part of eyestrain on HOs is some objects are 2 dim and some 3D, and I feel eyes refocusing and seeing things that weren't there looking straight at them before. Like the same color on color, then finding one and totally missing a huge beachball right in middle bottom of the screen. Going back to map and back to a room helps too for a fresh look. Hardest for me are the finding differences in 2 similar pictures, eyes going back and forth and on Sherlock Holmes up and down. I usually avoid games with those puzzles, especially when they are so tiny I see only with a hint and still can't before they fly off the screen. I keep moving my laptop screen up and back to change the lighting and more or less contrast, that helps some. Maybe our eye muscles just need the exercise refocusing (?)
I liked Jewel Match for an easy fast play but it is hard on the eyes the way they flash and garish colors. Fun for awhile though for a match 3.
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Hi, puzzledonem,
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for formatting, you need to use html-tags, you will find the allowed ones under the space where you write your comments. You can also get more infos and options, when you go here: Compose Tips
Have fun and enjoy the side here,
greetings, Kayleigh -
Morning Pilar, puzzledone and all, late gettin on this am, had to strt the laundry-grins. I really admire you two for your stories, I understand the health issues and ya'lls positive attitude gives me hope and encouragement. I had cataract surgery on my left eye and lost sight in it, bnow, the right one is gettin pretty bad but the fear over rides the surgery on it so I struggle along. Ya'lls story helps me not to feel sorry for myself as much tho and I'm grateful to you. I do hope you both are gettin better-I know this site and the computer games help me a great deal!! Don't know what I'd do without them. I play fairway solitair to kinda rest my eyes and have been thru it a few times. Not too good on the other games-lol. wouldn't you just know HO are my favorite and I have everyone of them except the 360 games and don't like them at all. Well, just wanted to thank ya'll and send a couple of kudos your way.
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I just had to send you a kudo for the eye strain tip. I too stare at a computer screen all day. Actually my whole day consists of staring at computer screens. I wake up, play games, go to work with computers, come home play games. And puzzledone I've sent you a kudo also. I too have fibromyalgia and hearing how strong and brave you are makes me believe I too will do okay. Thank you sooooooooo much
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hello all in this post,
i am sure as all have noticed, the wrong size ad is showing in any "features" forum. we're fixing this (knock on wood) this week.
thanks,
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joel -
Well I clicked on the link re More Info about formatting before I hit Post or submiti and lost my whole post before. Then another try I got page not available so since I don't know html I'll be brief(er)doesn't break automatically. So much to learn so little time
re 360 games, made me dizzy first Paris one, then on Rome they added a flashing patch so any item on list flashes. Here's the deal, just keep that option on, then move screen about an inch at a time til an item flashes at the border edge on still shot, very easy to find stuff if you like the hints. I just can't watch it swirling by. Then I loved Rome as I LOVE painted Italian pottery, and having had an antiques shop in another life lots of eye candy there. After creeping 360 deg then I go up or down a big and just watch for flashes at the edge of each still shot. I didn't do London, don't know if the hint flash patch is on there, but they are tedious.
Others with FM disabilities, best stay away from fibro msg boards, too much victimhood, I'm one who goes for the half full glass. Just design your own lifestyle and find workarounds for what is no longer easy to do, in my case with my back bending over. Like, I arrange my fridge and cupboards with most used in front or top in pull out bins. No reason produce has to be at the bottom, moved the drawers up. Stress always causes flareups as does much exercise regardless of what docs say. I walk fine but standing is a killer so I got cooking a meal down to 10 min, my limiit, leave dishes til tomorrow (and play a game LOL)
We used to have a good Fibromyalgia thread for players on Real Arcade but that's history when they upgraded. Feel freeto contact me, and thanks for games suggestions for the eyes. Sometimes it is hard to nail down what bothers me about some games but I'm learning what to avoid, frustration mainly, hard to see or too much animation graphics, garish colors, saps my energies.
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To get a line break in your messages you type in the code @lt;br/@gt; @lt;br/@gt; where you want to put a space between paragraphs. You have to type the code twice for it to work. I hope this message about the code comes through ok.
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Well the HTML tags don't all work on this site so that message didn't show up right. What is in the last message is not how you put a break in your message. You have to type the less than sign which is on the same key as your comma, then type br/, then type the greater than sign, which is on the same key as your period. You do this twice and it will create a line break. I can't type an example here because it would read as a code and not print.
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Hey :)I have no problems here to use the html tags (as long as I do not mess them up myself, ofcourse, lol).
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I think, the ones, we would like to use the most is a break. For this, you type , but leave away the space after the break, its just for example. Every brings you to the next line. For this now I used one . If you want to have a space between the lines you have to use two after the other.This is what I did now. What also might be interesting is the strong. For this you use at the beginning of the word, words or sentence(s), you want to show strong and at the end of this word, words or sentence you write , again without the space after strong. (Ok, that was, what I messed up, I used the wrong slash to close the tag again). But if you do it right, you can bring out just the part you want to highlight.
Hope I could bring a little light into it.Greetings, Kayleigh
The healing power of games
Report as InappropriatePosted on 05/19/08, 07:53pm
I also enjoy strolling around in Journey to the Center of the Earth. After a hard day at work I can relax in another world. I can chat with characters, solve a few puzzles and enjoy a totally new and refreshing environment. Send a Kudo Post a reply Quote & Reply